1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a customer solicitation support system and an information provision server, and in particular to a customer solicitation support system and an information provision server which are capable of retrieving a shop holding a product desired by a customer and sending information on the shop to a portable apparatus carried by the customer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 06-019926 discloses person intermediation computer network provided with a registration device with which a user wishing to search a desired partner registers own data and desire data in each computer terminal and a conforming person list preparation device which compares the registered desire data and partner data to cause a display device to display a list of partners with high conformity, and is constituted such that the customer can transfer a message including. characters and signs, voices, and images to a computer terminal of a specific partner, who is selected out of the conforming person list displayed on the display device, through an information transmission network via a character/sign information transmission and reception device or an image information transmission and reception device and, if the partner is available, can carry out a time application on a real time basis. Then, it is possible to search a desired partner with a high degree of reliability without consuming labor and cost.
However, in the above-described person intermediating computer network, although it is possible for a user wishing to search a desired partner to register own data and desire data and send an e-mail, a voice, or an image to a specific partner in a list of partners with high conformity with the desire data, a deficiency is caused in that shops holding a product desired by a customer in a shopping mall or the like cannot be notified to the customer, or a list of shops selling a product at a lowest price, shops closest to the customer, and the like cannot be notified to the customer. Moreover, on a shop side, a deficiency is caused in that information on a customer wishing to buy a desired product (a distance from the shop, personal information on the customer) cannot be obtained.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 09-179910 discloses an electronic intermediation system and a method therefor including an information management device, which receives setting information set by a user and holds the setting information for each user, and an information intermediation device which, without disclosing first setting information of a first user and second setting information of a second user, intermediates individual information included in the first and second setting information. Therefore, it is possible to electronically intermediate users, who do not know each other, and exchange individual information without disclosing individual information of the users.
However, in the above-described electronic intermediation system and the method therefor, although it is possible to exchange personal information by electronically intermediating users who do not know each other without disclosing users individually, a deficiency is caused in that shops holding a product desired by a customer in a shopping mall or the like cannot be notified to the customer, or a list of shops selling a product at a lowest price, shops closest to the customer, and the like cannot be notified to the customer. Moreover, on a shop side, a deficiency is caused in that information on a customer wishing to buy a desired product cannot be obtained. Further, a deficiency is caused in that people whose demand and supply coincide with each other cannot be introduced easily.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-007467 discloses an interpersonal product sale and purchase intermediation method and an apparatus therefor which register product information such as a product desired to be purchased and a model of the product, purchase information constituted by information such as purchase conditions, a desired purchase price, a name, an address, and an e-mail address of a person desiring purchase, product information such as a product desired to be sold and a model of the product, and sales information constituted by information such as sales conditions, a desired sales price, and a name, an address, and an e-mail address of a person desiring sales in a magnetic disk, respectively, retrieve sales information registered in advance when the purchase information is registered, and present a product list, which comprises parts other than information on the person desiring sales among sales information data meeting conditions, to a user. The user selects a favorite product out of the list to thereby obtain information such as a name, an address, a contact, an e-mail address of a person at the other end who has registered the product, communicate with the person at the other end, and trade the product. Therefore, both of a purchasing user and a selling user can participate in a trade on equal terms, it is possible to narrow down products according to conditions, and it is possible to secure privacy of the users.
In the above-described interpersonal product sales and purchase intermediation method and the apparatus therefor, purchase information such as information on a product desired to be purchased, a person desiring to purchase the product, and a desired purchase price and sales information such as information on a product desired to be sold, a person desiring to sell the product, and a desired sales price are registered in a database, respectively, only information on products and desired sales prices meeting conditions are presented to the person desiring to purchase the product, and the person desiring to purchase the product selects a favorite product out of the products to thereby obtain information on the person desiring to sell the product and carry out communication and trade with the other party. However, a deficiency is caused in that shops holding a product desired by a customer in a shopping mall or the like cannot be notified to the customer, or a list of shops selling a product at a lowest price, shops closest to the customer, and the like cannot be notified to the customer. Moreover, on a shop side, a deficiency is caused in that information on a customer wishing to buy a desired product cannot be obtained.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-149773 discloses a product stock notification system and a method therefor, or the like which input stocked product information to a shop terminal apparatus and send the information to a server, send desired product information inputted by a customer to the server from a cellular phone, compare the stocked product information and the desired product information and, when both the product information coincide with each other, send authentication codes to the cellular phone and the shop terminal apparatus. Then, when a customer approaches the shop terminal apparatus during a walk, communication devices of the shop and the customer start communication each other through a short-range wireless communication device, the cellular phone receives the authentication code from the shop terminal apparatus to compare it with the authentication code received from the server and, if both the authentication codes coincide with each other, notifies the user of received information on the product. Therefore, when a user carrying a cellular phone approaches a shop which holds a desired product, it is possible to notify the user of information on the desired product.
However, in the above-described product stock notification system and the method therefor, or the like, although it is possible to provide a service for, in the case in which a product desired by a customer and a product held by a shop coincide with each other, notifying the customer to that effect through a cellular phone and attracting the customer to a shop, a deficiency is caused in that shops holding a product desired by a customer in a shopping mall or the like cannot be notified to the customer, or a list of shops selling a product at a lowest price, shops closest to the customer, and the like cannot be notified to the customer. Moreover, on a shop side, a deficiency is caused in that information on a customer wishing to buy a desired product cannot be obtained.